Tfiomas francis murphy



June1'9, 1923'. 1,459,031

' T. F. MURPHY MAIL BOX Filed April- 4. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jurie 19,1923. 1,459,031

T. F. MURPHY MAIL BOX Filed April 4, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 19, 1.92.3.

UNITED STATE THOMAS FRANCIS MU 0F NI TAGLE COMPAIFI'SC, INC. 0]? NEW" Til. Y" ASSIGNOE TO THE MAIL RECEP- .tilnvla, IN. "1E1, GORPORA'EJTUN OF NEW YORK.

MAIL BOX.

Application filed April 4.,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TH'oMAs F. MURPHY, a citizen of the United States oi America, residing at New York city, borough of hlanhattan, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail Boxes, out which the following" is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to the type of mail-box commonly used in apartment, houses, in which a separate mail compartment is provided for each tenant; the compartments being arranged side by side, in one or a number of rows and either pcr manently set into a recess in the wall or enclosed in a suitable casing in the form or a portable cabinet.

This type of mailbox, now generally employed, is objectionable for many reasons:

The mail carrier is required to insert the mail one piece at a time, through a narrow slot in the door of each compartment. This method of delivery, in addition to being very slow and laborious, is unsatisfactory for the reason that frequently, owing to the difficulty of "forcing the mail through the narrow slot, the ends of the containing envelopes are left sticking out, accessible to unauthorized persons who, from curiosity or more serious motives, may readily remove the same.

Another objection is the necessity, for the information and guidance of the mail can rier, of plainly marking each of the several compartments with the name 01? the tenants to whom. they are assigned. This public display of the tenants names results in their being harassed and annoyed by persons taking advantage of the information to ,communicate with them on various subjects.

Again, as usually located, the mail com partment must be opened and the presence of mail therein determined by the sense of. touch, as it is ordinarily difiicnlt, it not impossible to get a view of the interior, either by reason of the lack of light or the box being placed too low for convenient examination.

Having in mind the foregoing and other objections, I have produced a construction which not only meets and overcomes them but possesses many important advantages to be hereinafter pointed out.

The invention consists in a mail box, com- 1921. Serial No. 458,386.

prising a series of pigeon-holes mounted in a frame or other structure, a main door hinged to the frame or other structure and adapted to conceal all ofsaid pigeon-holes, a series of" openings in the main door corresponding; with the pigeon'holes and coin cidingr with the openings or said pigeonholes when the main door is closed, a series at smaller doors fitted to the openings in the main door and adapted to open and close access to the individual pigeonholes, means For locking and rmloclring the main and smaller doors, and a series of receptacles slidably fitted. in said pigeon-holes and adapted to be withdrawn from the pigeonholes through the openings in the main door when the main door is in closed and locked condition and the smaller doors are opened.

Tl invention also consists in the details oi" construction and combination of parts, all substantially T will proceed. now more fully to set forth and finally claim.

in the accompanying; drawing, I have illnstrated one form of mailbox suitable for carrying my invention into effect, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the same, as its employment here is for purposes of illustration only and itmay be varied or departed from to any extent desired, within the scope of the claims.

In the drawing- Fig. 1, is a perspective view of a mailbox or": cabinet torm, constructed in accord ance with my invention and showing its use by the mai. carrier, in the delivery of mail;

2, similar view illustrating the manner of removing the mail by a box-holder. and

Fig. 3, is detail sectional view.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 represeats a series oi pigeomholes. the number and arrangement of which may be varied in. any manner desired, according to the conditions and requirements of each house, in which the mail box is installed.

The construction of the pigeon-holes is unimportant and may be the usual solid wood form or the metal skeleton form, being employed to serve only to support a corresponding series of mail containers 2, which. as shown, are preferably thin sheet metal boxes, open at the top and front, and

in which opening 5 are formed, correspond?- ing in number and arrangement and sub stantially coinciding in dimensions wlththe pigeoirholes and of sizesuitable for per-.

mittingsmovement of the n'iail, containers outward and inward throughthe said open ings; when the main door is closed and in locked i condition.

The main door 4 is secured by a lock 6,

the keylto which is carried by the postman and .under general adoption of the above described type of mailrbox, this would bea master lreycommon tothe main door locks of; all of the mail cabinets;

Closing each or"- the openings 5 in the main door 4, there is a small door 7, hinged at the bottom as indicated at 8, and to swing outwardly and provided with stop lugs 9, adapted to engage the front of the main door, to check and hold the small door from.

swinging downward below the horizontal, to afforda support for the receptacles when withdrawn from the pigeon-holes.

Each of the small doors is provided with a lock 10, the key to which is carried bythe person towhom the bOX is assigned.

The small doors may belprovidedwith a glass panel but are preferably solid, having only a small. opening; therein for the insertion of the hey to'the door locln In, use, the postman, on arriving to deliver the .mail, unloclrs the main door 4- and swings it open, exposing the open iiront of the entire series of mail hoxes'or containers asaill-ustrated in Fig. 1, and he thenvdistributes the mail for the house, being guided inloeatin q the-hoxes of the different ten--v ants by labels ;or name platesseeured on, a bar 11, extending across the front of each box at or near: thebottomthereof.

lt will be observed that the postman not in any way hampered or inconvenienced in the distributionand delivery of the mail,

but on the contrary, isprovidedwith .the same ipigeon hole? type of case. to which he isaccustomed in oflice.,.

The postman having completed the.de--

h andling ll. 11 the post] door of his box, which swings down to a horizontal plane and is there held by the stop lugs thereon. Reaching thmugh the opening in the main door, he grasps the name bar on the front of his box and draws the box outward, as illustrated in Figs2 and 3, the small door serving as a support for the box lVith the box in the position just described, any mail. matter contained therein is not only il ullyrexposed either through the open front or the open top but readily accessible for removal. In thus drawing the box outward through the door openinmthe removalof themail is not only greatlyda cilitated-butthe interior-of the box is fully eaposedto view inthe full flight-of thatv pore, tion of; the building, in which the cabinet is locatech, making it thereby improbable, if, not impossible for a person to overloolrsmall pieces of mail at ,the;bottom ofithe box.

Having removed his ,mail, the tenant A re-.- turns the box to proper-position by ,pushing it inward into its pig-eon' hole andclosesthe small door, which, like the maincabinet, door, is preferably. locked bypa snap lock, making .it unnecessary to use :the key.

Having, therefore described my invention, I claim:

1. A mailbox, comprising a seriesiot pigeon-holes and a frame orisupport therefor, a main door movably fixed'to the frame or support, a series. of i, openings -..-in the main doorcorresponding with gthe pigeon-holes and coinciding with the openings therein when the main door is closed, a seriesfof smallen doors for; the openings in the main doorand serving, as closures for the pigeonlioles. ineans for locking]; and unlocking the; m aiu door andntheindividnal smaller doors, a seriesoi receptacles slidahly fitt d in said pi q'eondi oles and adapted to. i be ,w thdrawn therefrom through the openings in the main, door when the .main door isin closed or looked condition and {the smaller doors are opened, and meanstor,supporting the small? er. doorsin horn .alposit on (to affordinsupport for the recep acles when. withdrawn front the pigeon holes 2 A ,mail b025,} comprising a serieshof; pimOnrholes-anda frame or support there for, a main .doormovably, fixedto the; frame, or support and adaptedto conceal all of said pigeonholes, a series, of pening.

door ,corre pon din m with .th holesand co" lCllllfi wl the openlnefsoot said pigeon-h oles when the main, door is, closed a .series of smaller, doors hinged at. their bottoms to the openings in, themain door to swing outwardly to afl'ord ,aceessto the l individu a1 pigeonholes, means for. looking. and nnlocking the main door and the 1 individual, smaller. doors, a series 0f receptacles. slidably' fitted in said pigeon-holes and adapted to be withdrawn therefrom, through the openings in theinain .door when the main door is in closed and looked condition and In testimony whereof, I hereby aflix my the smaller doors are opened, and lugs on signature in the presence of two witnesses. the smaller doors adapted to engage the main door to hold the smaller doors in hori- THOMAS FRANCIS MURPHY I zonta-l position to afford a support for the Witnesses:

receptacles when Withdrawn from the pigeon H. A. DIXON,

holes. G. A. MOINTYRE. 

